Electrical devices located in homes, dwellings, or other structures consume electricity. Utility companies, consumers, and other individuals or entities may monitor consumption of the electricity by devices within a structure or other environment to which electricity is provided. Monitoring consumption of electricity by consumers in a home may allow a utility company to identify distribution issues and other problems. Monitoring consumption of electricity by consumers in a home may allow to provide information to the consumer that describes individual power consumption by each appliance, thereby allowing the consumer to more effectively manage energy consumption in the home.
In some cases, utility companies or other entities may monitor electricity consumption by individual devices in a home. Current solutions for monitoring electricity consumption involve installing power measurement devices in line with a powered device. A power measurement device may be installed in line with a powered device by connecting a probe, tap, or other conductor of the power measurement device to an electrical terminal of the powered device or to a cable that is used to provide power to the device. The power measurement device determines the electricity consumption by the device by measuring the current flowing through the electrical connection to the device.
Current solutions for monitoring electricity consumption by individual devices may present disadvantages. For example, a power measurement device that is installed in line with a powered device may be difficult to install if an electrical terminal of the device is not conveniently located. Power measurement devices may also have a large physical size. For example, national and international safety standards and other requirements may require electrical devices that contain potentially hazardous electrical energy source to include a housing or other structure with certain protective physical characteristics, which may result in a larger device profile. The larger size of an electrical device may hinder the installation of power measurement sensors in line with an electrical terminal of a powered device. The use of such in-line power measurement devices having a large physical size may also hinder installing other electrical devices in the same location or replacing the monitored electrical device.
It is desirable to monitor power consumption by an electrical device without directly measuring electrical current flowing through an electrical connection to the device.